In the first quarter of 2018, NWA Women’s Shelter advocates and volunteers answered 309 crisis calls from our neighbors in need. Thank you for supporting the work of our team!

2017 Annual Report Now Available

Learn about the impact you and our supporters made in 2017 through the NWA Women's Shelter. Click here to read the 2017 annual report.

Thank You for Supporting NWA Gives

The Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter participated in the first NWA Gives on April 5, 2018. Thank you to everyone who supported families in need through this initiative!

Registration is open: Champions On W(heels) - $5.00 per person

Join us for Champions on W(heels) coming to Lake Atalanta on June 9th. Champions on W(heels) is a fun event for the whole family that supports other families who are in crisis. The event will feature a walk in heels, bike ride, bike decorating & bike parade, games and more! $5 registration covers all activities.

Make plans to visit the NWAWS Thrift Store and check out some of our recent changes including a new, fresh look. If you stop by Saturday, April 14th during the $5 Bag Sale, you can score some deals at the same time!

2018 Volunteer Orientations Scheduled

Volunteers are essential to our organization and now is a great time for you to join our volunteer team. We have opportunities available on varying shifts at both the Thrift Store and the Shelter with openings in all areas from child care to administrative support. All individual volunteers receive training and orientation.

Orientation is the last Wednesday of each month. Join the next training class by first applying online here.

Staff Celebrations

We have a lot to celebrate this month with one retirement and a 4 year anniversary with the NWA Women's Shelter.

Terri, Office Manager, Retiring

After 10 years, Terri is stepping away from her professional role to enjoy her well-deserved retirement. She has a background in accounting and financial record-keeping and often was the glue that kept things running smoothly at NWAWS. While she usually had little direct interaction with clients, Terri played a huge role ensuring that groceries have been available and that technology worked the way it should. While we are all sad to see Terri leave, we wish her the best on her future endeavors and all of the projects in store during this next chapter of her life.

Tawyna, Outreach Advocate, Celebrates 4 Years of Service

Tawnya began working at NWA Women's Shelter as an intern months before she had the opportunity to join the staff in 2014. Over the last 4 years she moved from a part-time position to working full-time as our outreach advocate, coordinating services and providing support to our non-residential clients as well as leading all of our adult support groups.

Tawnya finds satisfaction in watching the transformation that takes place in the families she works with as they move along in their journey toward hope and healing. Despite her role as advocate and supporter, Tawnya does not just help families transitioning to independence from abuse. She shares, “They help me become a better person, too.”

The experts at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center explain, “Consent is about always choosing to respect personal and emotional boundaries,” and that when you make consent a normal part of your day, it shows you value others’ choices. This month, we encourage you to have conversations with your kids and other young people you know to create a culture of consent in their interactions. Here are some of their tips to get you started:

Ask for consent-Use everyday interactions as an opportunity to practice consent and model that asking for consent is an ongoing process. Just because you hugged goodbye yesterday does not mean you are required to today.

Listen to the answer-Sometimes nonverbal clues give us insight into what others are or are not comfortable with. When you model this, kids learn that the absence of a verbal "no" does not mean "yes."

Accept "no"-Gladly accepting a child’s "no" to a hug or kiss teaches that they are in control of their body and does not guilt them into doing something they aren’t comfortable with.